Football | 1/14/2017 10:59:00 AM

SIOUX FALLS -- John Tidwell, who completed his football career at the University of Sioux Falls in 2015 as the school's first ever three-time all-league first team selection, has signed with the Frankfurt Universe of the German Football League. He will report on April 1.

Tidwell, who was among the final cuts last summer by the Deniver Broncos, will be outfitted once again in purple as he was with the USF Football Team. He joins a team that is a member of the GFL South Division. The Frankfurt Universe finished 12-2 a year ago and runner-up in the South Division. They advanced to the playoffs. Tidwell, who will play cornerback, heads to a German Football League, a 16-team league which has been in existence for 38 years and runs from April to September.

Tidwell, who earned a bachelor's degree in public accountancy/business administration from USF, gets his opportunity to play professional football.

Originally from Aurora, Colo., Tidwell was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-American second team defense in 2015, Tidwell is just one of nine USF football student-athletes who have been named Academic All-NSIC three consecutive years and first Cougar to earn first-team NSIC all-league honors three straight years.

A team captain two straight years, he had 35 tackles, three interceptions, three pass breakups, six passes defended and a blocked kick in 2015.  Over his stellar career, Tidwell twice earned all-region honors, was named an honorable mention All-American and was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All- District Team in consecutive years.

In his career, he accumulated 213 tackles, including 154 solo stops as a four-year starter with the Cougars. He had 7.5 TFLs and 50 passes defended, including 12 interceptions (#13 all-time at USF. 2nd in DII era) for 152 yards (sixth all-time at USF, 2nd in DII era) and a TD. In addition, Tidwell was one of the league's top return specialists. He had 36 punt returns for 649 yards and three TDs with 20 kickoff returns for 474 yards in his career. Named Mineral Water Defensive MVP in 2014, Tidwell averaged 18.02 yards per punt return and 23.7 on kickoff returns.

He was active in community service at USF, including volunteering at the Banquet to help feed the needy, reading to elementary students, raising funds to feed the needy in Haiti, helping low income individual sprepare taxes as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and participating in the Susan G. Komen Cancer Walk. Named USF Vucurevich School of Business "Accounting Student of the Year" as a junior, he was recipient of the Purple Feather Award for attributes of character, scholarship, leadership and service and received the honor, "Celebrating Academic Achievement in Business."